Bitcoin supporters in Switzerland must collect 100,000 signatures from 8.92 million Swiss residents by June 30, 2026, to proceed with a referendum.

The Swiss Federal Prime Minister's Office has proposed requiring the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to hold Bitcoin on its balance sheet as of December 31.

According to Tether's Vice President for Energy and Mining, Giw Zanganeh, who helped propose this alongside Yves Bennaïm, the founder and president of the Swiss nonprofit Bitcoin research organization 2B4CH and eight other Bitcoin supporters, this proposal must collect 100,000 signatures to initiate a referendum.

The 2B4CH research group has been preparing to submit documents to the Prime Minister's Office since at least April to continue efforts to successfully propose after delaying the first submission in October 2021 — when the idea of a country strategically holding Bitcoin was not so popular.

"We are waiting for the right moment. Now, everything is falling into place, and this is why we have submitted documents and will start collecting signatures," Bennaïm told Cointelegraph.

The proposal for Bitcoin for a 'financially robust, sovereign, and responsible Switzerland' was submitted on December 5 and officially registered in the Swiss Federal Gazette on December 31.

The implementation of this constitutional amendment is the main task of Bennaïm's 2B4CH.

Bitcoin supporters now have to gather 100,000 signatures by June 30, 2026 — which is about 18 months from now.

Switzerland has a population of 8.92 million, meaning about 1.12% of local residents must sign the petition.

Bitcoin is now widely adopted in the Italian-speaking city of Lugano, where the annual Bitcoin conference 'Plan ₿' takes place.

Data from BTCMaps shows that there are about 260 stores accepting Bitcoin in this southern city with 63,000 residents.

However, last month, SNB President Martin Schlegel was reportedly concerned about the use of Bitcoin as a means of payment and the 'huge amount of energy' used to secure the network.

The United States is the most notable country considering adopting Bitcoin — but unlike Switzerland, the Treasury will hold Bitcoin — if the Bitcoin reserve bill sponsored by Senator Cynthia Lummis is passed.

Politicians in Brazil and Poland are also considering the idea of establishing a Bitcoin reserve fund.